"I started writing this on the way home from attending a funeral for one of Mary Beth�s uncles. This song and album came out of an intense time of wrestling with some monumental questions like "What do I really believe and why?"
The Great Adventure from the album The Great Adventure
"Another SCC - Geoff Moore collaboration that �blazed a trail� in many ways for me. The idea came after a meeting I had with some pastor friends who reminded me how truly �amazing� God�s grace is. I went into that meeting weary and discouraged and left knowing that it is the grace of God that makes this life the adventure God created it to be."
That�s Paradise from the album The Great Adventure
"Watching my wife�s grandparents live out the final chapter of their lives here on earth, as well as meeting and praying with a man named Jim after a concert in St. Louis, provided the inspiration for this song. My best bud, Geoff Moore, helped me write this song just before �Mary� (Mary Beth�s grandmother) left this earth for �Paradise�.
His Eyes from the album Real Life Conversations
"I started writing this one on a �road trip� with my family. It was a dark night on a desolate interstate with everyone else asleep in the car when the comforting though gently came that inspirit this song. My ear friend and long-time co-writer, James Isaac, worked on this song with me."
For The Sake of the Call from the album For The Sake of the Call
"This song and album were written out of a desire to come to a deeper understanding of what it really means to call oneself a �disciple of Jesus Christ�. The title and idea for this particular song came from a book called �The Cost of Discipleship� by Diettrich Bonhoffer, which I was reading at the time."
I Will Be Here from the album More To This Life
"The first of many songs written for my wife, Mary Beth. My parents were going through a divorce at the time, which was one of the most difficult things I had ever experienced, and this song was my way of saying again to Mary Beth, �Till death do us part.�
Heaven In the Real World from the album Heaven In the Real World
"A lot about this song and album was inspired by a TIME magazine article that talked about how our culture was beginning to acknowledge its cries of need for spiritual truth and how many were turning to God for answers. I actually wrote the whole chorus while working in my vegetable garden. (I�m not sure what the significance of that was!)"
No Better Place from the album For The Sake of the Call
"One of my many journey songs (it seems to be a recurring theme for me), this musical autobiography was written for the For The Sake of the Call album to remind myself and fellow disciples of the joy in the journey."
Hiding Place from the album First Hand
"Inspired by a passage in Psalms 32, my friend Jerry Salley and I wrote this a few weeks before the apartment that Mary Beth, Emily, and I were renting was destroyed by fire. It was a devastating time in life, and this song and its message became a precious gift from God during that time."
His Strength is Perfect from the album Real Life Conversations
"This is one of those songs that actually came out of a discussion I was having with my friend and fellow songwriter, Jerry Salley. We began talking about how encouraging it was to know, as the apostle Paul put it, that God�s strength is made perfect in our weakness, and a few hours later we had a song that we really believed God gave us."
Lord of the Dance (Abbey Road version)
"This was written in a hotel room after talking with my friend, mentor, and pastor, Scotty Smith, about this dance called life and our need for the One who gives purpose to each step. We were out on the Young Messiah �95 tour. His input in my music and my life over the years has been immeasurable. This recording was done at Abbey Road Studios in London where the Beatles recorded most of their music. It was recorded completely live with my band and me playing, singing, and praying that we wouldn�t mess up. What you hear, �for better or worse�, was done without fixing or over-dubbing anything. Hope ya like it."
The Walk (Abbey Road version)
"I�ve always loved the Micah 6:8 passage in the Bible. My grandfather and a dear missionary family in South Africa helped inspire this song that took me back to my musical �blues� roots. This recording was also done at Abbey Road Studios, and like �Lord of the Dance�, was recorded live just as you hear it - even the solos at the end. I think this recording is a great tribute to my band, which is, in my opinion, one of the greatest groups of musicians to ever grace the stage or the recording studio."
